Tent construction



Oct. 19, 1965 1.. H. MORRIS TENT CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 24, 1963 INVENTOR. [oweZZ H. M01723 WMMM United States Patent 3,212,512 TENT CONSTRUCTION Lowell H. Morris, Dixon, Calif., assignor to Morris Manufacturing Company, Dixon, Califl, a partnership Filed Dec. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 333,010 3 Claims. (Cl. 135-3) The present invention relates in general to an improved tent peg.

A major object of the invention is to provide a novel tent peg which, when projected through a grommet in the bottom flange of a tent and driven into the ground, securely holds such grommet and bottom flange against the ground.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a tent peg, as above, which includes a head that remains clear of the grommet a sufficient distance to enable a peg withdrawing or pulling tool to be engaged under such head Without the possibility of damaging the grommet or the bottom flange of the tent. V

The tent peg is especially adapted for use with a tent held erected by means of an outside frame of the type shown, for example, in my co-pending application Serial No. 286,325, filed June 7, 1963 and now abandoned; such outside frame including tubular metallic legs.

An additional object of the invention is to form the lower ends of tent frame legs and the upper ends of the tent pegs for cooperative engagement when the tent is erected and the pegs driven into the ground; such engagement regardless of the relative angle of the pegslocating the legs against accidential lateral displacement. Also, with the pegs holding the bottom flange of the tent against the ground and the tent frame legs engaged on the pegs, the tension imposed on the erected tent by the outside frame cannot possibly pull the legs from the ground.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tent peg which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a practical, reliable, and durable tent peg and one which is exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a tent supporting frame of outside type and as particularly adapted for cooperation with my improved tent peg.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of one of the legs of the tent supporting frame, partly broken out and in section; the view showing the leg as engaged with a tent peg driven in hold-down relation to the bottom flange of the tent.

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary elevation, partly broken out and in section; the view showing, in greater detail, one frame leg as seated on the upper end of a driven tent peg.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters of reference marked thereon, the improved tent peg, indicated generally at 1, comprises an elongated rigid metal rod 2; the rod being circular in cross section and substantially sharp pointed at its lower end, as shown at 3.

At its upper end, the peg is formed with an enlarged circular head 4. The underside of the head 4 slopes downwardly to a junction with the rod 2, as shown at 5, so that the head is made very rigid and will not be bent or deformed by the action of a hammer thereon.

3,212,512 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 The rod 2, just under the head 4, is outwardly roughenedas by rib-like projections 6to frictionally engage the inner surface of a sleeve 7 formed integrally on and extending upwardly from the center of an enlarged disc 8; said disc and sleeve preferably being made of a suitable plastic, and the sleeve opening through the disc as shown.

The sleeve 7 is freely slidable on the rod 2 until it reaches the projections 6; such projections tightly gripping the sleeve 7, in frictional holding relation, when the latter is further and forcefully advanced along the rod to a final position immediately under the head 4; the diameter of said head being considerably greater than that of the sleeve.

The peg 1 is adapted to be driven into the ground at a suitable angle, through a grommet 9 in the laterally projecting bottom flange 10 of a tent 11 made of canvas or other suitable material. There are, of course, a number of such grommets 9 spaced about the bottom periphcry of the tent; certain ones of such grommets being disposed at the corners of the tent so that the related pegs will align with the lower ends of the legs 12 of an outside type tent supporting frame indicated generally at This frame consists of a tent roof supporting units 14 which includes ridge poles 15 diverging to the corners of the tent 11 from the central portion of the unit 14. Legs 12 depend from the outer ends of the ridge poles 15; each leg including a sleeve 16 and a lower end portion 17 of tubular form slidable in and depending from the sleeve 16. A helical compression spring 18 is disposed in the sleeve and at its lower end said spring engages the upper end of the leg portion 17 in downwardly pressing relation, as shown in FIG. 2. Sliding movement of said leg portion 17 in the sleeve 16 is limited by a pin 19 projecting from such leg portion and riding in a longitudinal slot 20 in the wall of the sleeve 16.

At its lower end, each leg portion 17 is swaged or belled outwardly as shown at 21. The diameterof the head 4 relative to the bore of the leg portion 17 and the swaged lower end 21 thereof is such that the head-at opposed pointscan be engaged with-in said swaged end in swivel, leg supporting relation irrespective of the angle at which the leg may be disposed relative to the peg 1.

When erecting the tent for use, the tent 11 is first placed on the ground with the corners thereof outstretched, and the pegs 1 are then driven into the ground through the various grommets in the bottom flange 10 and until said grommets and bottom flange are in firm contact with the ground. Thereafter, the supporting frame 13 is placed in symmetrical position over the laid-out tent, and the swaged ends 21 of the corresponding legs are seated on the heads 4 of the pegs 1 at the tent corners. The tent is then erected within the frame 13, and is connected in suspended relation to the supporting unit 14 thereof by suitable hangers 22 and indicated in FIG. 1, and which hangers may be the same as those shown and described in my aforementioned co-pending application. The height of the frame 13 is dimensioned relative to that of the tent so that when the tent is erected and connected to said frame as above described, the springs 18 are loaded. This not only maintains the tent taut but holds the lower ends 21 of the legs 12 in firm, located engagement with the heads 4 of the related corner pegs.

It will also be recognized that with the legs of the frame seated on the heads 4 of the pegs 1, and the corresponding discs 8 bearing on the grommets 9, the tension imposed on the tent by the spring loaded legs cannot pull the pegs from the ground.

Further, as the discs 8 on the pegs 1 engage the grommets 9 when the pegs are driven into the ground, the heads 4 remain a suflicient distance clear of the grommets to enable a suitable pull-out tool to be readily engaged under each head without the tool contacting and possibly damaging the adjacent grommet and tent material.

The use of. a plastic rather than metal for the discs 8 and integral sleeves 7 has been chosen for the reason that-in addition to economy of manufacturethe engagernent of the discswhich are larger than the grommets-with the tent material surrounding the grommets is not likely to chafe or cut into such material. Additionally, the somewhat naturally yieldable plastic enables the sleeves to be more readily initially accommodated, in frictional holding relation, by the projections 6 on the rods 2.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. A tent peg comprising an elongated rod adapted to be driven into the ground in tent holding relation, a head on the rod, an enlarged disc disposed on the rod below the head, and a sleeve of smaller diameter than the head fixed with and projecting upwardly from the disc, the sleeve being initially slidable along the rod whereby it may be removed from the lower end thereof and limiting the approach of the disc toward the head; said rod, immediately under the head being provided with protuberances for frictional holding engagement with the interior surface of the sleeve, said disc and sleeve being integral and of yieldable plastic material.

2. In combination with a tent having grommets at the bottom corners; tent pegs adapted to project through he grommets and thence be driven into the ground in tent holding relation, an outside supporting frame for the tent, the frame including legs at the corners of the tent, the lower end portions of the legs being tubular, and an enlarged circular head on each peg; the diameter of the head being greater than that of the bore of the corresponding leg at its lower end so that the latter engages the head at diametrally opposed points thereof in swivel and leg supporting relation.

3. In combination with a tent having grommets at the bottom corners; tent pegs adapted to project through the grommets and thence be driven into the ground in tent holding relation, an outside supporting frame for the tent, the frame including legs at the corners of the tent, each leg at its lower end having a circular opening therein and the corresponding peg having a circular head on its upper end of greater diameter than the opening arranged for cooperating engagement therewith to maintain the leg in detachable swivel engagement irrespective of the angular relation of the leg to the peg.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,268,459, 6/18 Hjermstad 135-15 2,775,252 12/56 Finch l35--l5 2,817,346 12/57 Whitney 13515 2,819,641 1/58 Corckran 2l 2,840,092 6/58 Hill -15 2,889,838 6/59 Aviezer et al. 135-4 2,935,074 5/60 Baker 1353 2,939,468 6/60 Boyce 13515 3,052,249 9/62 Seaman et al. 135-15 3,058,480 10/62 Blanchard 1353 3,143,122 8/64 Goodrich 13515 X 3,168,101 2/65 Porter 135-3 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,140,566 3/57 France.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiner. 

2. IN COMBINATION WITH A TENT HAVING GROMMETS AT THE BOTTOM CORNERS; TENT PEGS ADAPTED TO PROJECT THROUGH HE GROMMETS AND THENCE BE DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND IN TENT HOLDING RELATION, AN OUTSIDE SUPPORTING FRAME FOR THE TENT, THE FRAME INCLUDING LEGS AT THE CORNERS OF THE TENT, THE LOWER END PORTIONS OF THE LEGS BEING TUBULAR, AND AN ENLARGED CIRCULAR HEAD ON EACH PEG; THE DIAMETER OF THE HEAD BEING GREATER THAN THAT OF THE BORE OF THE CORRESPONDING LEG AT ITS LOWER END SO THAT THE LATTER ENGAGES THE HEAD AT DIAMETRALLY OPPOSED POINTS THEREOF IN SWIVEL AND LEG SUPPORTING RELATION. 